Al Jefferson scored 35 points, Kemba Walker had a double-double and the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-111 in overtime Wednesday night for their 10th victory in the last 12 home games.

Al Jefferson scored 35 points, Kemba Walker had a double-double and the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-111 in overtime Wednesday night for their 10th victory in the last 12 home games.

Carmelo Anthony’s postgame routine – massage, ice, shower, rinse and repeat – took longer than usual on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The delay could be attributed to Anthony’s body needing additional care as the Knicks enter the homestretch of their season.

Phil Jackson was nowhere to be found on Wednesday, opting to stay behind in Los Angeles following Tuesday’s debacle. But even without the new boss here, the Knicks found a pulse and J.R. Smith found his stroke. Mike Woodson’s team is very much alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race after Carmelo Anthony and Smith combined for 65 points as the Knicks, dominated throughout the night by DeMarcus Cousins, defeated the Kings, 107-99.

Phil Jackson is not being paid $12 million a season to provide the type of postgame analysis like he did the other night in Los Angeles when he called the Knicks’ performance “awful.” For one, not even James Dolan would pay that much for a TV guy.

Carmelo Anthony’s postgame routine – massage, ice, shower, rinse and repeat – took longer than usual on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The delay could be attributed to Anthony’s body needing additional care as the Knicks enter the homestretch of their season.

Phil Jackson was nowhere to be found on Wednesday, opting to stay behind in Los Angeles following Tuesday’s debacle. But even without the new boss here, the Knicks found a pulse and J.R. Smith found his stroke. Mike Woodson’s team is very much alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race after Carmelo Anthony and Smith combined for 65 points as the Knicks, dominated throughout the night by DeMarcus Cousins, defeated the Kings, 107-99.

Phil Jackson is not being paid $12 million a season to provide the type of postgame analysis like he did the other night in Los Angeles when he called the Knicks’ performance “awful.” For one, not even James Dolan would pay that much for a TV guy.

It’s almost impossible to predict anything about this Knicks season, so any bold proclamations about the Knicks’ playoff chances should be taken with a grain of salt. Remember, this is a team that followed a seven-game losing streak with an eight-game winning streak. So who knows if the Knicks can win enough over the next 10 games to get into the playoffs. But we can be sure about one thing: It won’t be easy. The Knicks play just one team currently under .

The Knicks keep inching closer to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. New York moved to within two games of Atlanta for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East after beating the Sacramento Kings by eight on Wednesday night. The Knicks have 10 games to play. Nine of their final 10 games come against teams with records over .500. So it won’t be easy to make up the gap. The Hawks, however, are in a tailspin. Atlanta has lost four straight.